Mandatory Minimum Opponent Says Idea Remains Alive

“It is discouraging to see members of Congress continue to introduce bills with mandatory minimums. It’s as if they have no impulse control when an emotional crime occurs. Their Pavlovian response is to pass a stiff mandatory sentence,” Julie Stewart, founder of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, tells Mimesislaw.com. The latest examples are “Kate’s Law,” introduced after the murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco, and the “Back the Blue Act,” introduced after the murder of five police officers in Dallas. Both bills carry long mandatory minimum sentences.

Stewart notes that few bills with mandatory minimums actually have been enacted recently. The last major group was in 2006, involving sex offenses. “I credit this to the younger, more junior, more libertarian and liberal members of Congress who recognize that mandatory minimum sentences are an expensive failure,” Stewart says. “That number is growing while the old-time hard-liners are shrinking.” Although Congress is yet to enact a new sentencing-reform bill, and may not this year, Stewart is optimistic, saying, “I think the main reason for progress is that people from different ideological backgrounds have begun to see prisoners as human beings … Until you believe people who break the law might not be that different than you or someone you know, you are not likely to care how long they are sent away, what kind of conditions they are kept in, and what happens to them when they are released. But the culture is shifting – finally – and so I think that has helped those of us pushing for reform.” She adds, “I am always worried that one high-profile crime could stop our progress …but I think support for reform will stay high and continue to grow.”

TCR's WEEKLY Criminal Justice Newsletter is FREE! Subscribe Here

Read Next

Ryan Burke, who had pleaded guilty to four counts of hazing and five alcohol violations, apologized to the parents of Tim Piazza, who died in February 2017 after a night of drinking and hazing in the Beta Theta Pi house. Burke was fined $3,000 and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.

The execution of Carey Dean Moore went forward on Tuesday after a federal appeals court denied a drug company's request to halt the lethal injection over concerns about whether the drugs were obtained improperly by the state.

A new report by the American Bar Association's Senior Lawyers Division makes nine recommendations and suggests 45 "action items" that it says can advance public health efforts to confront the opioid epidemic. One recommendation calls for promoting policies and laws that support families and caregivers struggling with opioid and substance misuse disorders.

In a report issued Tuesday, the Prison Policy Initiative found that people who have been to prison are 10 times more likely to be homeless than the general public. Recommended policy initiatives include barring housing discrimination against returning citizens.

A hearing on state Senate Bill 1391, which would prevent youths under 16 from being sent to adult courts, is scheduled Thursday. Supporters say it will reduce recidivism rates and better rehabilitate and prepare youth for successful, productive reentry into society.